


Rotten Judgement.

by AlwaysInSonder



Series: I Won't Say I'm In Love [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Emotionally Constipated Nick, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Oblivious Cinna-bun Judy, Romance, Wedding Trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 10:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7636453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysInSonder/pseuds/AlwaysInSonder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She’d hustled him good and swindled his heart without even trying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rotten Judgement.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's Part 2! Enjoy it, you nasty furries.

“You know, it’s a wonder that you bunnies don’t mistake relatives for potential lovers.”

Judy rolled her eyes and lugged her luggage down the tracks of Bunny Burrow station. Ever since she had left, there had been some renovations in line with the sudden surge in Zootopians coming out to the country for the summer. The two officers pushed through the herd, getting to the gregarious group that waited for them impatiently beyond the doors.

“Foxes aren’t the only one with scent markers. And besides, that’s species-ist. We don’t all look the same.”

Nick only mock scoffed good-naturedly and tugged his own luggage after him. He always offered to carry hers - Marian Wilde did raise a gentlemammal; but she had her whole Miss Independent Bunny who need no fox thing going on.

“JUDY!”

He couldn’t help but smile as Judy disappeared into a cloud of excited cottontails. He managed to pick out her parents simply from the older male bunny who’d burst into tears and the exasperated female bunny who tried to calm down both her husband and the few dozen children that decided to tag along. Honestly, he did not know how Bonnie Hopps managed it all. It made him think of his own mother, and his smile faltered. It’s been a while since he'd paid her a visit.

“NICK!”

One of the cottontails seemed to have remembered him and soon it was his turn to be bombarded with hugs, ear tugs and kisses. Now he knew why Judy was so touchy and… affectionate. Not that he minded it in the least, of course not. He secretly enjoyed every hug and nuzzle as much as he showed that he didn’t.

“Guys, GUYS! Get off him!”

Judy wrestled two or three little bunnies off his arm and he chuckled. “Hey kids. Miss me?” He plucked off two of the tinier bunnies on his tail and carried them on his shoulders.

He also covertly enjoyed feeling like he was part of the family. Foxes were solitary and tended to have nuclear, small families. Kits left home at a relatively young age to make it on their own. He found it lonesome sometimes, but he was mostly fine with it.

He’s had plenty of distractions in his darker past; but now, he had Judy.

Bonnie came over and wrestled off a few kits herself before giving him a warm, tight hug. Just like the ones his mother gave him. Stu came over to give him a firm handshake and an awkward pat on the back. Mr Hopps still had difficulties warming up to him.

“Welcome back, Nicholas. How’s your mother?”

“She’s doing alright Mr Hopps. Fit as a fiddle. Last I heard, she was about to move to Tundratown.”

Mercifully, Bonnie joined in on the tense conversation after Nick gently shooed away her paws from his luggage and insisted on carrying it himself.

“Oh! But isn’t it rather cold there?”

“Yeah, but us foxes are used to the cold. The Rainforest District’s rent market’s pretty hot right now and she’s looking to rent out the apartment…”

They chatted amicably as they made their way down to the Hopps’ truck.

* * *

 

When Judy's back was turned to her wardrobe, Nick sneaked a photo of her in grade school. He'd like to think he was going to use it for blackmail material... and the fact that she looked heart-meltingly adorable with her one little front tooth and oversized police hat. 

 “So, who’s getting hitched this time?”

“Well, since it’s the summer, we pack more weddings into the day. So it's going to be quite the group.”

Judy unpacked some dresses and pulled them onto hangers. Times like this, Nick was grateful for his dirty past in the mafia. How else would he have access to multiple suits without looking like he was repeating outfits? Oh no, his father wouldn’t approve. But he wasn’t going to approve his son as a hustler either.

“…Iris, Jacob, Janine, Joseph, Justin and Lisa on Monday morning.”

“Wait. The Js ended?”

“Huh?”

“Weren’t you born to a litter of twelve? And your parents named each litter with the same letter?”

“Yeah, so- Oh! Oh….”

Nick nodded. Judy was going to be the last of her litter to get married. He remembered that wedding where her other eight ‘J’ siblings got hitched. It was the biggest, multiple wedding he had ever attended and yet he was told that was not even the biggest in bunny history.

Judy only shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, it happens. It’s rare, but it happens. And it’s not like it happens in order. Caleb got married way later and only after the ‘C’ and ‘D’ litters were done. No big deal.”

She looked like she was genuinely unbothered by it, so Nick didn’t push her any further. While he might not be well versed in country bunny traditions, he had picked up a gist of it just from attending multiple bunny weddings.

Though times have changed and female bunnies were encouraged to take up other roles other than being a baby maker, senior bunnies were going to push their dated beliefs. If Judy was the last bunny in her litter to not get married, she was going to be ostracized by the senior bunnies. Something about ‘disrupting the natural order of things’. Nick didn’t understand it, and wasn’t going to attempt to. All he knew was that it undermined Judy’s happiness and he’d really rather not see his favourite bunny upset over some old, rotten carrots.

 “And then there’s Eloise, Elijah, Emily and Ingrid on Tuesday evening- “

“Judy.”

She paused. Nearing two years together, Nick had only ever called her by her first name when she was in danger, upset or hurt.

“Are you sure you’re ready for me to...well, you know?”

She sighed and picked up her now empty luggage and pushed it into the back of the closet. She leaned against the door and looked over to him. She had noticed how tired he looked lately. Whatever that's bothering him, he's losing sleep over it. She had grilled Clawhauser and Finnick for any information, but both had seemed more amused than concerned and Judy didn’t know what to make of it.

_“Please, just tell me. Is he in some sort of trouble? I won’t tell him! I just want to know if anything’s wrong.”_

_“Ask him yourself bunny. I'm no snitch.”_

_Finnick was dragging a kerosene canister into his van and Judy went over to help him. “But do you know anything about this? At least give me some sort of clue! Is he healthy? Is he in danger?”_

_Finnick groaned in annoyance and grabbed her by the vest._

_“Look here cottontail, ya boy’s sick. But not that kind of sickness you’re thinkin’. There ain’t no cure for that kind of shitstorm.”_

_Judy’s eyes widened and Finnick felt embarrassingly guilty when her eyes started to water. He released her and busied himself with the canister, pulling it away from her grasp and mumbling under his breath._

_“Oh cut it with the waterworks Bunny. He’s all good.”_

_“B-but you just said he has an illness! T-that there’s n-no cure…”_

_She sniffled and rubbed her paws over her eyes. She couldn’t believe it, but it explained so much. Why he always looked so exhausted. How jumpy he was when she greeted him. But why did he feel the need to keep it a secret from her? She’d love him all the same._

_“Is he… Is he dying? Is he in pain?”_

_To her surprise the fennec fox cackled. His booming voice filling the van and his eyes started to water._

_“Oooh bunny. He’s at the end of his life fur-sure!”_

_He released her and cackled more, clutching a paw to his stomach and the other wiping his eyes._

_“He dyin’ alright. That boy’s good as dead. He got it bad.”_

_For a good few minutes, Finnick’s deep laughs resonated through the alleyway. He pushed her out of the van and slammed the door to her muzzle._

_“Now get your cotton-ass outta here! Wouldn’t want that whipped fox thinkin’ I’m sniffin’ around his girl!”_

_Judy blinked confusedly as the fox continued to laugh in the van._

“I’m…I’m worried. My parents like you, so it’s not like they’ll hate you or anythi-“

“Carrots, I’m not worried about that. I’m asking if you are ready.”

Judy’s nose twitched at that and he sighed. They might have known each other for a while, but they’ve been put together long enough to know what every nose twitch, ear flop and sigh implied. He fell back on her bed where he had been sitting and groaned as the top of his head knocked the headboard.

“Ugh, I feel like a giraffe here.”

She winced and went over to the edge of the bed, pulling herself up and she went over to inspect his head. He watched her worried, violet eyes and reached up to hold her paw before it rested on his head.

“Just say the word, and I’ll leave.”

“Nick, don’t be ridiculous.”

He sat up at that, looking at her with slight annoyance.

“Look here Fluff, I’m not going to stand between you and your shot at having a family. You can still have a career and a family. Just tell them you’re not ready for it…Carrots?”

Judy’s eyes watered and Nick’s expression fell. This he knew for a fact; if there was anything more painful than a kick to the family jewels, it was to see Judy cry. Finnick made fun of him relentlessly for that. Said something along the lines of having his tail wrapped tight around her tiny paw.

“Hey…hey. C’mon now, sweetheart. Don’t pull that pretty muzzle into a frown.”

He sighed heavily and collected her into his arms, letting her cry to his chest. He hadn’t noticed, but his own ears had drooped. He was feeling and displaying sympathy now. Whatever happened to never letting anyone see that they got to him?

“Nick…is there something you’re not telling me?”

He froze and what felt ice crept down his spine. He’s going to kill that fennec bastard.

“Don’t worry, F-Finnick didn’t tell me anything…”

She sniffled and nuzzled closer to his chest. Half drowned in tears and she could still mind read him. Nick didn’t even mind the wet patch on his favourite shirt, he was far too distracted by having a soft, curvy, beautiful bunny sitting on his lap giving him the proverbial and taboo ‘feels’.

It still astounded him how she found it in her to trust him so irrevocably that she would let him surround her in his hold. He would have thought that after their little ‘episode’ at the press conference two years ago that they’d be more cautious of their touches, but it only made them closer than ever.

Judy lifted her head to look up at him with those wide, pure eyes that he swore to the holy canines above, were made for the sole purpose of making him weak in the knees. He gave her a weak, one sided Nick Look™, but he knew his eyes were more soft than suave.

“It’s just… You’ve seemed…distracted lately. Like something’s bothering you.”

Of course, she wasn’t even crying over her own problems. It was his own. He felt guilt at that. Whenever he’s been caught giving Judy moon eyes, he would get snappy. Judy bore the brunt of it, having to be stuck with him for patrols. All because he couldn’t bring it in him to fall out of love for a bunny. She’d hustled him good and swindled his heart without even trying.

In his defense, he couldn’t help it. First, it was Clawhauser, then Finnick, and now, Chief Buffalo Butt. At least the latter had the decency to give him a menacing glare and a “Focus, Wilde!” instead of teasing him. Was he being that obvious?

He rested his head back against the wall and tugged her closer to him while sighing.

“Carrots…There’s nothing wrong.”

“You’re lying!”

She rested her paw on his cheek, looking at him with those loving, soft eyes that fueled those ridiculous fantasies he’s had.

“Why don’t you trust me Nick?” Oh no, he can’t deal with an emotional conversation right now. Not now, and not ever. If he stared into those pretty peepers any longer, he’s worried he’d propose to her right there and then.

“…Look, how about we talk after the wedding week, hm?”

“…Tonight.”

“Sunday. In the morning.”

“Friday, afternoon.”

“Saturday. Evening. Final offer.”

“…Fine. Dumb fox.”

“Sly bunny.”

He rubbed her behind the ears affectionately but halted when he remembered Finnick making a remark that Judy might have a secret daddy kink. He briefly wondered if the smaller fox was jealous considering the roles they assumed as a hustling duo.

It was just a snide joke, but Judy seemed to love sitting on his lap more than was acceptable for a country bunny that was raised in a conservative, “No mating before marriage!” household. He just figured that she was just openly affectionate by nature and the times they spent ‘accidentally’ cuddling while watching TV in her apartment was more out of necessity considering that her heater was almost always broken. It didn’t help that his scent stayed on her for days which would get him bawdy looks from their other scent-sensitive colleagues.

_“Nick you sly dawg!”_

_“…That’s offensive, Delgato.”_

_“You treating her right, fox? Y’know you’ve got the entire ZPD up your tail if you break her heart.”_

_"Why does everyone thin-"_

_“Someone’s getting some of that fine, fluffy ass!”_

Clawhauser had to restrain him before he went savage on them.

She yawned tiredly in his arms and closed her eyes. It was past noon and most of the bunnies were either out making preparations for the dozens of weddings or down for their afternoon naps. It seemed like his bunny was down for the latter. He pulled a blanket around her form and carefully extracted her from his chest to lay her gently down on her bed. He quietly pulled himself off and just as he was about to go, a paw grabbed the edge of his shirt.

“I love you Nick. You know that, right?”

He smiled down at her, but he was certain he looked emotionally constipated and it was a likely a bizarre look. Thankfully, Judy’s eyes had already closed and she was well into deep sleep.

“…Fuu-ah, why do I even bother?”

* * *

 

“…Well, hun. Looks like we won the bet. Ole Randy’s going to be howling about this.”

“Mmhm. We can put the winnings into her wedding savings.”

“I’m not letting that fox marry her!”

“Honey, for the sake of our baby’s happiness, stop it. She’s a big bunny now.”

“You’re calling her ‘our baby’.”

“Stu, would you like to sleep out in the fields tonight?”

“…No, dear.”

**Author's Note:**

> Can I just say how overwhelmed I am by the positive responses I've received from Part 1?! You guys are amazing, thank you so much! I've been feeling out of sorts lately and reading your comments and seeing the kudos increase really made my week! Hope you guys enjoyed this installment! If you have any ideas/prompts, do head on over to my Tumblr! Love y'all! ♥


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